Items tagged with Mobile

There are few things quite as frustrating as dealing with a loss of power. In many cases, that wouldn't cut off communication entirely, as most of us have cell service that would allow us to keep in contact. But what about in the case of a full city power outage? It's happened, and it makes the loss of power at your own home seem like a cakewalk. In extreme cases, it could be governments that are causing disruption, with a notable case being Hong Kong last year, during the Umbrella Revolution. As this was going on, people were unable to make use of their mobile service to keep in contact with each...Read more...

There hasn't been a ton of growth in the mobile phone market over the last year -- just a 2 percent year-over-year bump to reach 435 million units in the second quarter of 2015, according to data provided by Strategy Analytics. But what's more interesting than the number of phones is the fierce battle for market share among vendors. It essentially boils down to a somewhat lopsided battle between Samsung and Apple for the top spot, with every other vendor jockeying for third place. As it stands, Samsung is still on top, though its phone shipments declined from 95.3 million units in the second quarter...Read more...

Earlier this week, we learned of a scary piece of malware that can strike almost all Android devices in use. As has become a theme of late, the exploit is trigged via a simple text message. While it's easy to assume that you'll be safe simply by not reading any unsolicited text messages from people you don't know, this bug can be effective enough to not even require you to open it. If the attack is successful, the phone can be remotely accessed in full. That even includes being able to trigger the camera and microphone. Suffice to say, this is a serious bug, and while there's been no proof of it...Read more...

Samsung's uniquely designed Galaxy S6 Edge with its display that curves around both sides was part of the company's comeback plan in the high-end smartphone market. It was supposed to help renew interest in the Galaxy series after consumers had grown bored with the same plastic phone being recycle and upgraded each generation, and the problem is, the strategy worked.How is that a problem? Simply put, Samsung failed to predict how popular the Galaxy S6 Edge would be. Combined with manufacturing difficulties, the company saw a shortfall in sales partially because it just couldn't produce them fast...Read more...

You can't take two steps outside without seeing someone using a smartphone. From texting to selfies, smartphones have become a part of everyday life for millions of people. Be that as it may, there's still a market for flip phones. Yes, flip phones! And a competitive market, at that. Hot off the heels of LG unveiling an Android Lollipop-powered flip phone called "Gentle," Samsung has announced its second generation Galaxy Folder.Like LG's newest offering, the Galaxy Folder is an Android Lollipop device. It also sports a 3.8-inch touchscreen display with an unspecified resolution (presumably it...Read more...

With as fast as new smartphones come out, it's a scary proposition to consider purchasing the latest and greatest months after its launch. After all, it's not as though prices immediately begin to go into a decline; they stay locked in right up to the launch of the next model. T-Mobile understands what this frustration can feel like, so it's offering iPhone fans one sweet deal. Via a humorous and straight-forward YouTube video, T-Mobile CEO John Legere tells us why his company's latest deal is worth paying attention to, and he's got a good point. It's no secret that a new iPhone is en route, so...Read more...

Samsung has scheduled its next Galaxy Unpacked event to take place on August 13, 2015 at 11:00 AM ET, with doors opening an hour ahead of time. It will take place in the Alice Tully Hall at the Lincoln Center in New York, and it's there that Samsung is widely expected to unveil its newest flagship phablet, the oft-rumored Galaxy Note 5.The location represents a change in venue from past Galaxy Unpacked events, which have typically taken place at IFA in September. It appears that Samsung is eager to release whatever it has on tap, of which there will be two devices -- very likely the aforementioned...Read more...

It might be hard for many of us to believe, but some people out there still love using flip-phones. I am not sure if it's an issue of function, or simply nostalgia, but it appears there's still an ample enough market for flip-phones that LG has decided to release one using the latest and greatest version of Android, 5.1 Lollipop. As far as flip-phones go, I think this latest one, called Gentle, hits all the right marks. It looks good (and would have been amazing ten-years-ago), and it has nice bubbly buttons for the sake of good feedback. Of course, one thing to set this phone apart from phones...Read more...

The folks at OnePlus haven't just proven that they're capable of producing a great smartphone, they've proven that they're marketing geniuses. Despite the fact that the OnePlus One was the company's first-ever smartphone, its "Never Settle" tagline and exclusivity made it one hot product. I couldn't believe the number of people I knew that were either offering or looking for invites - it was great to see so much hype around a smartphone not produced by a fruit-inspired company. Despite the enormous success of the OnePlus One, its invite system left a lot to be desired. Earlier this month, company...Read more...

If the multitude of companies telling us are to be believed, mobile payments are going to be a huge part of our future. It's not exactly hard to understand why. Most of us tote around a phone at all times, and in some cases, it might be easier to take out of a pocket than a wallet. But, with most things that are convenient, there are some caveats to be aware of. In this case, the biggest one is security. While Samsung has proven in the past that it doesn't mine compromising its users' security, where money's concerned, it means business. So, to prevent possible exploitation, it's been discovered...Read more...

It almost seems impossible nowadays for a company to keep a product under wraps until it's officially meant to be unveiled, and one recent example is with Motorola's third-gen Moto G. While we learned last week about its expected specs, the company itself leaked even more information, all revolving around customization. As a recap, the third-gen Moto G will sport a 1080p display, a Snapdragon 610 SoC, and a sweet boost to 2GB of RAM. While 8GB will be the default storage option, users will be able to expand it up to 128GB with the use of a microSD card. On its own website, Motorola has revealed...Read more...

Most of the attention in the smartphone space gets placed on Samsung's flagship Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge handsets and Apple's iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus models. It's sometimes easy to forget that there are other mobile phone makers competing in the high end space too, and to help consumers remember that fact, LG Electronics is readying a new flagship device.Apparently LG's next mobile handset won't just be a smartphone, but a "super premium phone," which the company plans to release sometime this year (sooner rather than later). The mention of a super premium phone has stirred up speculation...Read more...

Microsoft has sky-high ambitions with Windows 10, due out next Wednesday, and that goes for mobile just as much as it does for the desktop. It needs to have some attractive smartphones on the market if it's going to make a real impression on people, and beyond that, they need to boast higher-end specs. No one gets excited over a budget phone. We've talked in the past about the upcoming Lumia 940 and 940 XL, and based on what we've learned up to this point, both phones look to be quite good. But, as we're now learning, models sporting those names might not even exist. Instead, Microsoft could go...Read more...

Motorola is getting ready to unveil new mobile devices, which we know because it's been sending members of the press invitations to a livestream event scheduled to take place on July 28 (next Tuesday) at a bright and early 6 AM Pacific. While nothing has yet been confirmed, it's generally believed that Motorola will unveil a new Moto 360 smartwatch and a new handset or two.Speculation is all over the place on what smartphone Motorola will unveil. Some believe it will be the a third generation Moto G, while others are holding firm that a third generation Moto X (see our review of the second generation...Read more...